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Edwards is player who's indispensable
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist
Published on Friday, Aug 08, 2008
CLEVELAND: The Brett Favre sideshow rolled into town Thursday night, but it had little impact on the Cleveland Browns offense.
Not that it should.
But on a night when the talk was Brett-this, Brett-that, the other Team B guy — Braylon Edwards — provided the night's highlight.
His first-quarter touchdown catch was one of those, well-now-it's-third-down . . . wait, did he catch that . . . kind of catches.
The kind of catch a guy is not supposed to make.
Edwards made it, though. Heading to his right, Edwards at first looked over his left shoulder, to the middle of the field.
The ball was thrown behind him, to his right.
He somehow spun counterclockwise and stuck out his left hand to make a one-handed catch as he fell to his knees.
Touchdown on a play that seemed destined to be third-and-goal following an incomplete pass.
This ended a nine-play, 62-yard drive, a very efficient and smooth drive from the Browns first-team offense.
Derek Anderson looked confident.
Donte Stallworth caught a couple of passes.
Jamal Lewis ran well.
The offensive line, with Rex Hadnot at right guard, did its job.
But Edwards' catch was the highlight. It was important — and symbolic.
On every team there is one player who is simply indispensable. On this talented Browns' offense, Edwards is that guy.
His season last year was one for the ages among Browns receivers. Sounds a bit NFL-Filmsish, yes, but it's true. Edwards had 80 catches, 1,289 yards, 16 touchdowns.
Only three players in Browns history have had more than 80 catches in a season.
None had more receiving yards. That's — nobody.
And nobody had more touchdowns in a season.
Yes, it's a passing era, but Edwards clearly has a chance to be one of the best in the league — and if the Browns can find the gold stash to pay him after his contract expires in 2009, perhaps in team history.
Heck, he already was one of the best in the league last year. That, though, happened when folks hoped Edwards would be good.
This season they know he can be, and defenses will send many more waves of defensive backs his way.
He will have to come through.
Stallworth is a nice addition, but the team's receiving depth was fractured by the offseason staph infection struggles of Joe Jurevicius.
This means the Browns have Edwards, Stallworth and a bunch of guys. In the NFL, when a player is referred to as ''a guy,'' it means he's got potential, but he's also replaceable.
Stallworth became ''a guy'' toward the end of the season in New England a year ago. Now he's the third guy in Cleveland — after Edwards and Kellen Winslow.
Think Edwards isn't vital?
His catch was the exclamation point on the only drive of the Browns first-team offense, and it will be played on all the highlight shows.
The show before the game made all the highlights, too, but it was a tad more comical. Favre made his first appearance after being traded from Green Bay to a team in New York that has the requisite media following.
This following was augmented by media from almost every major sports Internet site.
Suffice it to say, it was crowded.
Favre's ''happy-to-be-here, just-want-to-win'' news conference was held in the room normally reserved for the postgame coach. The average high school classroom is larger. And, believe it or not, less crowded.
The Browns chose not to have the news conference in a larger room. Their interview room is right off the Browns locker room, and they did not want to disrupt the team's pregame routine.
If there is such a thing in these glorified, full-price exhibitions.
So the Jets folks chose who would be and would not be allowed into the room.
So the rest of the mopes — yes, that'd be me — shuffled their feet and milled around outside the door.
When Favre appeared, everyone on the outside strained his or her neck to see what he was doing, which was basically walking in and holding up a jersey and smiling under a baseball cap.
One female put another female photographer on her shoulders. To capture the mood.
A select few asked questions, and Favre answered all politely.
Shortly after this major celebrity had landed in Cleveland, he left for New York. Sort of like LeBron James will do, right?
During the game, Favre's every move was noticed by those sent to do just that.
''He's talking to Kellen Clemens now.''
''He's just watching now.''
''He's just standing there.''
''He's kind of in the huddle with the other quarterbacks.''
''Now he's putting a jacket on.''
Compelling stuff.
Is it any wonder that Edwards' catch was the highlight of the early evening?
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/mcmanamon/.
CLEVELAND: The Brett Favre sideshow rolled into town Thursday night, but it had little impact on the Cleveland Browns offense.
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